Peg for use in the lasting of shoes



Jan. 17, 1967 c. F. BATCHELDER ETAL 3,293,050

PEG FOR USE IN THE LASTING 0F SHOES Filed April 15, 1963 FIG 2 M ,I? a

FIG. 9 H6. H0

' INVENTORS CHARLES F. BATCHELDER JEROME A. RUBICO ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,298,050 PEG FOR USE IN THE LASTIN G 0F SHOES Charles F. Batchelder, Milton, and Jerome A. Rubico, Boston, Mass., assignors to Batchelder Rubico, Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 273,056 4 Claims. (Cl. 12-141) This invention comprises an improved process of shoemaking based on our discovery that the two heretofore conventional operations of asembling and of pulling-over a closed stitched upper on a last can be combined into a single operation if the last is fitted with a last peg made in a novel form and with a new function.

Currently by the universal practice of the shoemaking industry the assembler inserts the counter or stiffener into its pocket between the upper and lining, assembles the upper on the last to which an insole has previously been attached, and by means of the assembling machine commonly drives a tack through the back of the upper near the back seam. The assembler has to gauge by eye the height of the upper and the alignment of its back seam. After assembling and preparatory to tacking he inverts the last and the upper, loosely held thereto by hand, an operation which prevents him from seeing the back seam at the time of tacking. If the assembler fails to hold the forepart of the loose upper in proper relationship to the last, the pull-over operator cannot help twisting the back seam out of plumb when he with his machine pulls the forepart of the upper. This common defect calls for bothersome and expensive correction.

The key element which makes it posible to combine the assembling and pulling operations in the practice of our present invention is the use on a last of a last peg of novel form and function disclosed herein. Our co-pending application Serial No. 241,705, filed December 3, 1962, now Patent No. 3,110,915, dated November 19, 1963, describes the construction and use of a last peg the sole function of which is to control the height of a shoe upper on a last during the assembling and subsequent shoemaking operations. Our new last peg of this invention serves the above function and in addition serves to peg the top of the back of an upper temporarily to its last without tacking or nailing and without damage. A novel last peg which makes possible this method of temporarily attaching a shoe upper to a last, and which also holds the back seam in its proper position, is the basic feature of this invention.

The last peg may 'be made of any suitable resilient material. We prefer to make it by injection molding of a stiff but elastic plastic. In a preferred embodiment the peg is made in an L shape with a horizontal cylindrical stem that may be about of an inch long and about inch in diameter. In use the stem is inserted in a hole drilled in the back of the last. Integral with and depending from the outer or back end of the stem is a lobe that may extend down about to of an inch below the under surface of the stern. This lobe is preferably formed with a flatly domed bulge which contacts the upper and pegs it frictionally to the last when the stern of the peg is pushed into the hole in the last. A plastic last peg made in the above described manner will hold the upper tight to the last, but may easily be detached by twisting, and is re-usable.

It will readily be seen that, with the top of the back sea-m of the upper positioned under the lobe of the peg and held to the last by the spring pressure of the L-shaped peg, the upper may be drawn into its correct position on the last by the pulling-over of its toe portion and this is effected without the danger of distortion caused by the tacking or nailing as heretofore necessary. Our new procedure permits better pulling and tighter lasting.

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It will also be evident that in combining the steps of assembling and pulling-over, the insertion of the counter stiffener into the stitched upper would be done by the pull-over operator who would also assemble the upper on the last, and peg it to the last. This operators duties are thereby increased, but his operation is simplified by the easier pulling of an upper which is pegged but not nailed.

Our new last peg described .above also serves to control the back height of the upper on the last. For those shoemakers who want to use any one last in the manufacture of shoes of varied back heights, the control height may be varied by the choice of more than one hole in the last, or by slipping over the stem of the peg before it is fitted to the last a sleeve, that may be about A; inch long, with a wall thickness such as to bring the invert surface of the sleeve to the desired elevation. This method of establishing different control heights by the use of one of several sleeves of differing wall thicknesses in combination with a last peg is another feature of this invention.

The stitching, folding and binding of the edge of practically all uppers generally creates a bulge that is thicker than the material below, at least until the counter stiffener is reached. This condition is answered in accordance with the present invention by making the interior angle between the stem and lobe less than 90 and preferably about Thus the iobe bridges or spans the folded top edge of the upper and engages it in an area of uniform thickness upon the last.

The stem itself merges into the lobe through an enlarged triangular or D-shaped section. This not only provides an extended flat bearing surface for the top edge of the upper but presents an angular formation for holding a gauge ring against rotation on the peg. It also supplies additional resilient material at an area where the peg may be stressed in its upper holding function.

Other features of the invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a last, partly in section showing the last peg in operative position,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding rear view,

FIG. 3 is a top view of the peg,

FIG. 4 is a view of the peg in elevation,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is an outer end view of the peg,

FIG. 7 is an inner end view,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of FIG. 4, and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views of the gauge ring in side and end elevation.

In FIG. 1 is shown the heel end 10 of a last having in its rear surface a bore 11 disposed normally to the curved surface and at a predetermined distance below its crown face. The counter portion of an upper 12 is shown in its assembled position on the last.

The peg comprises a cylindrical stem 13 of such diameter as to make a driving fit in the bore 11. The stem merges through a section 14 into a down-turned lobe 15 that makes an acute angle of approximately 45 with the stem 13. The section 14 is substantially triangular or U-shaped in cross section with its fiat side down as best shown in FIG. 5.

The lobe 15 tapers downwardly in width toward the stem and has a flat inner surface merging into a rounded or dome-shaped upper-engaging surface 16. The resilient material of the peg permits the lobe to be displaced or sprung outwardly when the stem 13 is forced into the bore 11 of the last and thus a yielding frictional pressure is exerted on the upper against the rear surface of the last.

0 Under this condition the stem 13 is also subjected to a yielding off-center pressure that tends to bind it in the last.

A gauge ring 17 is employed with the peg and for this purpose is provided with a triangular or D-shaped aperture shaped to fit snugly upon the triangular section 14 of the peg. The lower edge of the gauge ring is flattened to supply a gauging face for contact with the top edge of the upper as shown in FIG. 1. The height of the upper may thus be positively gauged by contact with the fiat face of the section 14 of the peg, or at a lower point by contact with the flat face of the ring 17. An assortment of rings of dififerent thicknesses is a part of the equipment of the operator.

The peg gauge herein described has the further advantage that it may be readily molded as an integral article from any one of several resilient synthetic resinous plastics, such as polyethelene, Teflon (polytetrafluorethylene), Kel-F (polydifluorethylene), nylon or the like.

Having thus disclosed our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A last peg of resilient synthetic plastic material having a shank insertable at one end in a bore in the rear end of a last, a solid down-turned lobe dome-shaped in cross section into which said shank merges at its other end, said lobe being inclined inwardly at approximately 75 from the shank toward the last thereby spanning the top edge of a folded upper and being in position to engage the upper in an area of uniform thickness beyond its folded edge and upon the rear surface of the last.

2. A last peg as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the shank of the peg is cylindrical in cross section, said peg including a widened 'Dshaped section through which said shank merges into the said downturned lobe.

3. A last peg as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the lobe tapers downwardly to a rounded dome-shaped end for engaging the upper.

4. A last peg as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the resilient material of the lobe may be deflected and stressed against the last-supported upper when the stem of the peg is forced into the bore of the last, and that a gauging sleeve is removably mounted upon an intermediate portion of the last peg which is D-shaped in cross section.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,719,279 7/1929 Shliekr 12129.5 2,449,216 9/1948 Gordon et a1. l2-129.5 3,110,915 11/1963 Batchelder et al. 12129.5

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primaly Examiner.

H. H. HUNTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A LAST PEG OF RESILIENT SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING A SHANK INSERTABLE AT ONE END IN A BORE IN THE REAR END OF A LAST, A SOLID DOWN-TURNED LOBE DOME-SHAPED IN CROSS SECTION INTO WHICH SAID SHANK MERGES AT ITS OTHER END, SAID LOBE BEING INCLINED INWARDLY AT APPROXIMATELY 75* FROM THE SHANK TOWARD THE LAST THEREBY SPANNING THE TOP 